The notion of small molecules that detect dozens of cancers may sound like something out of a science-fiction novel. But for Christodoulou and her peers at Miroculus, it’s more akin to a modern-day reality.
The company has trained its sights on microRNA, which Christodoulou describes as small molecules that reflect a person’s health state and which might be used as a potential biomarker for diseases. The test to collect microRNA is as simple as drawing blood, with a turnaround time of 60 minutes. The instrumentation for the test is composed of “broadly available electronic components,” which is in line with Miroculus’s vision to “democratize molecular diagnostics,” Christodoulou explains. “Enabling the detection of otherwise-complex-to-detect molecules that require a high-complexity lab in the low-research setting—that’s the philosophy of the company.”
Similarly, Miroculus has developed an open-sourced diagnostics platform called Miriam. It should help the research community grow the database of cancer microRNA biomarkers, Christodoulou notes.
